1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing method for use with a coupling facility, and in particular, to a data processing method for use with a coupling facility which couples with each other, a plurality of processing or computer nodes accessing files of mutually different formats.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,809 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,266, there has been described a computer system in which a coupling facility is linked via an optical link with computer or processing nodes such that the processing nodes communicate with each other via the coupling facility.
In this manner, the coupling facility is connected to a plurality of processing nodes so that each node can communicate data, via the coupling facility, with another node.
The coupling facility includes a memory having a memory area to be shared among the respective processing nodes.
On the other hand, each node includes a message facility to mutually conduct communication with the coupling facility such that the node communicates data and messages with the coupling facility.
When data shared between the processing nodes is updated in the coupling facility, the coupling facility notifies the processing nodes sharing the data of the data update.
Receiving the notification, the node possibly discards old data in order to read new data thus updated from the coupling facility.
Moreover, in accordance with JP-A-4--369058, there has been described a text file transfer method which facilitates transfer of text files between computers using different kinds of character data.
In the text file transfer method, a computer as a transfer source of a text file determines a kind of character data used by a partner computer as a transfer destination and converts the text file into a file of the pertinent kind of character data to thereby send the converted file to the partner computer.
Additionally, when a text file is received from the partner, the computer converts the file into a file of the kind of character data thereof.
As described above, the processing nodes are connected to the coupling facility such that when data is updated in the coupling facility, the update of data is notified to the processing nodes. Consequently, there can be retained coherency of data shared between the processing nodes.
However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,806 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,266 assume that the file formats of the respective computers are substantially identical to each other. Moreover, in JP-A-4-369058 disclosing the conversion of kinds of character data in the computers as the transfer source and destination, there is missing description of the file sharing operation in a computer system in which a plurality of computers using mutually different file formats are connected to the coupling facility.
Consequently, there exists a problem of improvement of efficient usage of data shared between the computers which are connected to the coupling facility and which are using mutually different file formats.